Bosses here among world's top 10 most unsupportive of holidays

SINGAPORE - Pressure from the top is one of the biggest contributing factors to Singaporeans failing to take annual leave to go on holidays.

A study by Expedia, which focuses on vacation deprivation, found that Asian bosses were among the most unsupportive of employees taking time off for vacation.

This year's study - which surveyed 8,500 employees in 22 countries - was expanded to include Taiwan and Malaysia, alongside Singapore, India, Japan and Korea.

The most demanding bosses hail from South Korea (59%), followed by Taiwan (54%) and Japan (50%).

Singapore bosses ranked sixth most unsupportive at 36 per cent with eight per cent of respondents saying that their superiors were not supportive and 28 per cent of them were not sure.

However, 63 per cent of Singaporeans said their bosses supported the idea of them going away.

Singaporeans also prove to be a harworking bunch as 41 per cent of them were likely to cancel or postpone their leave due to work commitments.

Other than pressure from the top, Singaporeans typically do not end up on a jetplane because they found it difficult coordinate with family (32%) or lacked planning (21%) or simply just wanted to accumulate leave for future trips (46%).

Compared to last year, Singaporeans are also feeling the pinch as 16 per cent cited financial considerations as a deterrent when planning for a getaway, up 3 per cent from 2011.

14 per cent of Singaporeans also feared that taking time off from work would trigger negative sentiments in the workplace.

Still, a further 11 per cent surveyed indicated that 'work is life' for them, according to the Expedia press statement released on Monday.

For those who failed to plan in advance, they pointed the finger at their spouse or family (42%) and work schedules (34%).

But those fortunate enough to escape away, many Singaporeans still found themselves shackled to office matters as 80 per cent of them admitted to checking on their work emails or voicemails while holidaying.

"With the widespread global connectivity we enjoy nowadays, it’s is not at all surprising that Singaporeans are finding it difficult to detach themselves from work. Furthermore, there might also be a decrease in perceptions of job security that has Singaporeans put in the extra hours at work, even when away on holiday,” said Dan Lynn, CEO of AirAsiaExpedia.

Europeans are the leaders in vacationing as they view vacation as a duty rather than a perk, according to Expedia.

Most European workers have between 25 and 30 days of vacation time available to them each year, in addition to state and religious holidays. Workers in France and Spain reportedly take the full 30 vacation days off, as do their peers in Brazil. Germans take 28 of a possible 30 days off, while British, Norwegian and Swedish workers take all 25 days they’re given. The Dutch work 35 hours a week, the fewest among the 22 nations surveyed.